Search and notification in response to a request

ABSTRACT

In various example embodiments, a system and method for search and notification are provided. A request to search for an item is received by a system from a client device. The request includes search parameters that identify the searched item. Sensor data that indicates items that are located within a predefined distance from a sensor is received. A determination that the search parameters match with a corresponding item among the items indicated by the sensor data as being located within the predefined distance from the sensor is performed by the system. A location of the searched item is determined by the system based on the match. The location of the searched item is displayed by the system in a user interface of an application on the client device.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to dataprocessing and, more particularly, but not by way of limitation, tosystems and methods for search and notification.

BACKGROUND

Conventionally, users of a publication system will browse a web pagehosted by the network publication system. In some instances, the userwill browse the web page in order to search for items that are publishedby the network publication system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various ones of the appended drawings merely illustrate exampleembodiments of the present disclosure and cannot be considered aslimiting its scope.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a networked system, according tosome example embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating components of a search system,according to some example embodiments.

FIGS. 3-4 are flowcharts illustrating operations of the search system inperforming a method of determining a location for a searched item,according to some example embodiments.

FIG. 5-10 are block diagrams illustrating an example user interface of asearch application, according to some example embodiments.

FIG. 11 illustrates a diagrammatic representation of a machine in theform of a computer system within which a set of instructions may beexecuted for causing the machine to perform any one or more of themethodologies discussed herein, according to an example embodiment.

The headings provided herein are merely for convenience and do notnecessarily affect the scope or meaning of the terms used.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The description that follows discusses systems, methods, techniques,instruction sequences, and computing machine program products thatembody illustrative embodiments of the description. In the followingdescription, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific detailsare set forth in order to provide an understanding of variousembodiments of the subject matter discussed herein. It will be evident,however, to those skilled in the art, that embodiments of the subjectmatter may be practiced without these specific details.

In various example embodiments, a search system is provided. Sensor datais received, by the search system, from sensors that are placed around acertain area, such as a home or an office. Moreover, the sensor dataindicates items are located near the sensors. Further, the search systemstores the sensor data in a database. The search system uses the sensordata to locate items that are searched for by a user of the searchsystem. The user may send a request to the search system and includesearch parameters in the request. Using the search parameters and thesensor data, the search system locates an item that matches the searchparameters. Moreover, the search system is capable of sendingnotifications that indicate that an item is moved. Also, the searchsystem sends notifications that indicate that a number of items fallsbelow a certain threshold.

With reference to FIG. 1, an example embodiment of a high-levelclient-server-based network architecture 100 is shown. A networkedsystem 102, in the example forms of a network-based publication orpayment system, provides server-side functionality via a network 104(e.g., the Internet or wide area network (WAN)) to one or more clientdevices 110. FIG. 1 illustrates, for example, a web client 112 (e.g., abrowser, such as the Internet Explorer® browser developed by Microsoft®Corporation of Redmond, Wa. State), a client application 114, and aprogrammatic client 116 executing on client device 110.

The client device 110 may comprise, but is not limited to, a mobilephone, desktop computer, laptop, portable digital assistants (PDAs),smart phones, tablets, laptops, multi-processor systems, a sensor,microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, or any othercommunication device that a user may utilize to access the networkedsystem 102. In some embodiments, the client device 110 comprises adisplay module (not shown) to display information (e.g., in the form ofuser interfaces). In further embodiments, the client device 110 maycomprise one or more of a touch screens, accelerometers, gyroscopes,cameras, microphones, global positioning system (GPS) devices, and soforth. The client device 110 may be a device of a user that is used toperform a transaction involving digital items within the networkedsystem 102. In one embodiment, the networked system 102 is anetwork-based publication system that responds to requests for productlistings, publishes publications comprising item listings of productsavailable on the network-based publication system, and manages paymentsfor these marketplace transactions. For example, one or more portions ofthe network 104 may be an ad hoc network, an intranet, an extranet, avirtual private network (VPN), a local area network (LAN), a wirelessLAN (WLAN), a wide area network (WAN), a wireless WAN (WWAN), ametropolitan area network (MAN), a portion of the Internet, a portion ofthe Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), a cellular telephonenetwork, a wireless network, a WiFi network, a WiMax network, anothertype of network, or a combination of two or more such networks.

Each of the client devices 110 include one or more applications (alsoreferred to as “apps”) such as, but not limited to, a web browser,messaging application, electronic mail (email) application, ane-commerce site application (also referred to as a marketplaceapplication), and the like. In some embodiments, if the e-commerce siteapplication is included in a given one of the client device 110, thenthis application is configured to locally provide the user interface andat least some of the functionalities with the application configured tocommunicate with the networked system 102, on an as needed basis, fordata and/or processing capabilities not locally available (e.g., accessto a database of items available for sale, to authenticate a user, toverify a method of payment). Conversely if the e-commerce siteapplication is not included in the client device 110, the client device110 may use its web browser to access the e-commerce site (or a variantthereof) hosted on the networked system 102.

One or more users 106 may be a person, a machine, or other means ofinteracting with the client device 110. In example embodiments, the user106 is not part of the network architecture 100, but interacts with thenetwork architecture 100 via the client device 110 or other means. Forinstance, the user 106 provides input (e.g., touch screen input oralphanumeric input) to the client device 110 and the input iscommunicated to the networked system 102 via the network 104. In thisinstance, the networked system 102, in response to receiving the inputfrom the user 106, communicates information to the client device 110 viathe network 104 to be presented to the user 106. In this way, the user106 can interact with the networked system 102 using the client device110.

An application program interface (API) server 120 and a web server 122are coupled to, and provide programmatic and web interfaces respectivelyto, one or more application servers 140. The application servers 140host one or more publication systems 142 and payment systems 144, eachof which may comprise one or more modules or applications and each ofwhich may be embodied as hardware, software, firmware, or anycombination thereof. The application servers 140 are, in turn, shown tobe coupled to one or more database servers 124 that facilitate access toone or more information storage repositories or database(s) 126. In anexample embodiment, the databases 126 are storage devices that storeinformation to be posted (e.g., publications or listings) to thepublication system 142. The databases 126 may also store digital iteminformation in accordance with example embodiments.

Additionally, a third party application 132, executing on third partyserver(s) 130, is shown as having programmatic access to the networkedsystem 102 via the programmatic interface provided by the API server120. For example, the third party application 132, utilizing informationretrieved from the networked system 102, supports one or more featuresor functions on a website hosted by the third party. The third partywebsite, for example, provides one or more promotional, publication, orpayment functions that are supported by the relevant applications of thenetworked system 102.

The publication systems 142 provide a number of publication functionsand services to users 106 that access the networked system 102. Thepayment systems 144 likewise provide a number of functions to perform orfacilitate payments and transactions. While the publication system 142and payment system 144 are shown in FIG. 1 to both form part of thenetworked system 102, it will be appreciated that, in alternativeembodiments, each system 142 and 144 may form part of a payment servicethat is separate and distinct from the networked system 102. In someembodiments, the payment systems 144 may form part of the publicationsystem 142.

The search system 150 provides functionality operable to perform asearch for items that are located within a predefined distance from oneor more sensors. For example, the search system 150 may receive sensordata each of the one or more sensors. Further, the search system 150retrieves item identifiers from the databases 126, the third partyservers 130, the publication system 142, and other sources. In someexample embodiments, the search system 150 analyzes the item identifiersand the sensor data to determine a location of an item that is searchedfor by a user. In some example embodiments, the search system 150communicates with the publication systems 142 (e.g., accessing itemlistings) and payment system 144. In an alternative embodiment, thesearch system 150 may be a part of the publication system 142.

Further, while the client-server-based network architecture 100 shown inFIG. 1 employs a client-server architecture, the present inventivesubject matter is of course not limited to such an architecture, andcould equally well find application in a distributed, or peer-to-peer,architecture system, for example. The various publication system 142,payment system 144, and search system 150 could also be implemented asstandalone software programs, which do not necessarily have networkingcapabilities.

The web client 112 accesses the various publication and payment systems142 and 144 via the web interface supported by the web server 122.Similarly, the programmatic client 116 accesses the various services andfunctions provided by the publication and payment systems 142 and 144via the programmatic interface provided by the API server 120. Theprogrammatic client 116 may, for example, be a seller application (e.g.,the Turbo Lister application developed by eBay® Inc., of San Jose,Calif.) to enable sellers to author and manage listings on the networkedsystem 102 in an off-line manner, and to perform batch-modecommunications between the programmatic client 116 and the networkedsystem 102.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating components of the search system150, according to some example embodiments. The search system 150 isshown as including a reception module 210, an identification module 220,a determination module 230, a display module 240, and a generationmodule 250, all configured to communicate with each other (e.g., via abus, shared memory, or a switch). Any one or more of the modulesdescribed herein may be implemented using hardware (e.g., one or moreprocessors of a machine) or a combination of hardware and software. Forexample, any module described herein may configure a processor (e.g.,among one or more processors of a machine) to perform the operationsdescribed herein for that module. Moreover, any two or more of thesemodules may be combined into a single module, and the functionsdescribed herein for a single module may be subdivided among multiplemodules. Furthermore, according to various example embodiments, modulesdescribed herein as being implemented within a single machine, database,or device may be distributed across multiple machines, databases, ordevices.

In various embodiments, the reception module 210 is configured toreceive a request to search for an item. The request is received from aclient device (e.g., mobile device) operated by a user. Moreover, therequest includes search parameters that identify the searched item. Forexample, the search parameters may include an image of the searcheditem. In other words, a user of the client device may have previouslysaved a picture of the item on the client device. Also, the searchparameters may include keywords or a description of the searched item.

In various example embodiments, the reception module 210 is configuredto receive sensor data that indicates items located within a predefineddistance from a sensor. Moreover, the sensor data is received from thesensor. In some cases, sensor data is received from more than one sensor(e.g., a first sensor or a second sensor). Further, each of the sensorsis in communication with a server (e.g., the search system 150) via thenetwork. In some instances, the sensor data includes visual data thatindicates the items located within the predefined distance from thesensor. In other words, the visual data covers an area within thepredefined distance from the sensor. Further, the sensor is a device isa used to capture the visual data. For example, the sensor may include acamera that is used to capture the visual data.

In some instances, the sensor data includes visual data that indicatesidentifiers of the items located within the predefined distance from thesensor. More specifically, the items are labeled with identifyinginformation, and the sensor includes a scanner that is used to capturethe identifiers being used to label the items located within thepredefined distance from the sensor. For example, the items may each belabeled with a barcode. The sensor will extract barcodes from each ofthe items and send the barcodes over to the reception module 210 as partof the sensor data.

In further embodiments, the reception module 210 is configured toreceive a request from the client device to receive notificationsregarding the items within the predefined distance from the sensor. Insome instances, the request from the client device indicates a thresholdnumber. As further explained below, the request from the client devicemay be a request to receive notifications from the search system 150regarding items tracked by the sensors.

In various embodiments, the identification module 220 is configured touse the sensor data to retrieve additional identifiers (e.g.,descriptive information) for the items that are located within thepredefined distance from the sensor. For instance, the identificationmodule 220 is to use the scanned barcode to retrieve the additionalidentifier (e.g., descriptive information) for an item. In other words,an item barcode may be used to retrieve descriptive information for anitem that corresponds to the item barcode.

In some instances, the items indicated by the sensor data are items thatare similar to items that are listed by a network publication system.Moreover, information regarding the items that are listed by the networkpublication system may be stored in an item database. Accordingly, theidentification module 220 is further to retrieve information regardingthe listed items from the item database. Further, the informationregarding the listed items may be used to identify the items that arelocated within the predefined distance from the sensor.

For example, an item indicated by the sensor data is similar to an itemthat was published by the network publication system (e.g., share thesame barcode number, share the same identification number, and thelike). Further, the information regarding the item that was published bythe network publication system is received from a seller of the item,and the received information is stored in the item database. Using theinformation from the item database, the identification module 220 is toretrieve the additional identifiers for the item indicated by the sensordata. Accordingly, information regarding items that are listed by anetwork publication system may be stored by the network publicationsystem in a database and retrieved by the identification module 220 fromthe database. Alternatively, the identification module 220 receives theadditional identifiers from other applications running on other devices,such as a client device 110 of a further user.

In further embodiments, the identification module 220 is to count anumber of items located within the predefined distance from the sensorbased on the sensor data. The number of items is compared with thethreshold number indicated in the request in order to determine whethera notification is to be displayed.

In various embodiments, the determination module 230 is configured todetermine that the search parameters match with a corresponding itemamong the items indicated by the sensor data as being located within thepredefined distance from the sensor. The determination module 230determines the match using the sensor data. More specifically, thedetermination module 230 compares the search parameters with the sensordata in order to determine the match. In the case that the searchparameters is an image of the searched object, the determination module230 is to compare the image of the searched object with visual data thatindicates one of the items located within the predefined distance fromthe sensor. In other words, the determination module 230 uses imagerecognition to match the image of the searched object with one of theitems indicated by the sensor data. In the case that the searchparameters is a description of the searched object, the determinationmodule 230 is to compare the description of the searched item with theretrieved identifier of one of the items located within the predefineddistance from the sensor. In other words, the determination module 230determines that the description of the searched item matches with theidentifier of one of the items located within the predefined distancefrom the sensor. More specifically, the determination module 230determines that the description of the searched item matches with anidentifier for the corresponding item.

In further embodiments, the determination module 230 is to determine thematch based on the additional identifiers for the items that are locatedwithin the predefined distance from the sensor with the searchparameters. More specifically, the additional identifiers includes anadditional identifier for the corresponding item. Further, thedetermination module 230 matches the additional identifier for thecorresponding item with the search parameters (e.g., description of thesearched item) received from the client device.

In further embodiments, the determination module 230 is configured todetermine a location of the searched item based on the match performedby the determination module 230. In other words, the location of thesearched item is determined as being where the corresponding item islocated. For example, the search parameters received from the clientdevice matches with the corresponding item, and therefore the locationof the searched item is also a location of the corresponding item.Accordingly, the determination module 230 is further to determine thelocation of the corresponding item among the items indicated by thesensor data as being within the predefined distance from the sensor.

The determination module 230, in some embodiments, determines that thelocation of the corresponding item is a location within the predefineddistance from the sensor. More specifically, the location of thecorresponding item is determined by the determination module 230 asbeing a location of the sensor. For example, the sensor may be placed ona kitchen counter, and the location of the corresponding item isdetermined to also be the kitchen counter because the corresponding itemis located within the predefined distance from the sensor. In furtherembodiments, the determination module 230 is to determine that thecounted number of items within the predefined distance from the sensoris less than the threshold number indicated in a request received by thereception module 210.

In further embodiments, the determination module 230 is configured tostore the location of the searched item in a database maintained by theserver. In other words, storing the location of the searched item in thedatabase allows for future retrieval of the location of the searcheditem. In other words, subsequent requests to search for the item will beaddressed by retrieving the location of the searched item from thedatabase.

In various embodiments, the determination module 230 is configured todetect that a new item is moved to a location within the predefineddistance from the sensor. Also, the determination module 230 performsthe detection based on the sensor data. For instance, the sensor datamay include a first set of sensor data and a second set of sensor data.Further, the determination module 230 compares the first set of sensordata with the second set of sensor data. The first set of sensor datacorresponds to data that was captured during a first moment and thesecond set of sensor data corresponds to data that was captured during asecond moment. Further, the first moment and the second moment are aseparated by a predetermined interval of time. Also, the new item is notindicated by the first set of sensor data, but instead is indicated bythe second set of sensor data.

In further embodiments, the determination module 230 is configured todetermine that an item is moved from a first location within thepredefined distance from a first sensor to a second location within thepredefined distance from a second sensor. Further, the determinationmodule 230 performs the determination based on first sensor data fromthe first sensor and second sensor data from the second sensor.

In various embodiments, the display module 240 is configured to causedisplay of the location of the searched item in a user interface of anapplication on a client device. The display module 240 is also furtherto cause display of an image of the searched item in the user interfaceof the application.

In further embodiments, the display module 240 is to cause display of anotification that indicates the number of items within the predefineddistance from the sensor. In some instances, the notification is causedby the request for the notification received at the reception module210. The notification is also displayed by the display module 240 basedon the determination performed by the determination module 230 that thecounted number of items is less than the threshold number.

In further embodiments, the display module 240 causes display of anotification that indicates movement of the new item. In this regard,the display module 240 causes display of a notification that indicatesthat the new item is moved to the location within the predefineddistance from the sensor.

In various embodiments, the generation module 250 is configured togenerate an image of the searched item based on the sensor data.Moreover specifically, the generation module 250 may use visual datathat indicates the corresponding item to generate the image of thesearched item. For instance, the visual data of the corresponding itemmay be an image of the corresponding item or a video of thecorresponding item. Further, the generation module 250 uses the image ofthe corresponding item to generate a thumbnail image of the searcheditem. Alternatively, the generation module 250 selects a frame from thevideo of the corresponding item and uses the selected frame to generatethe image of the searched item.

FIGS. 3-4 are flowcharts illustrating operations of the search system150 in performing a method 300 of determining a location for a searcheditem, according to some example embodiments. Operations in the method300 may be performed by the search system 150, using modules describedabove with respect to FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the method 300includes operations 310, 320, 330, 340, 350, 360, and 370.

At operation 310, the reception module 210 receives a search for an itemlocated within the predefined distance from the sensor. The search mayalso include search parameters that identify the searched item. Forexample, the search parameters may include an image of the searcheditem. In other words, a user of the client device may have previouslysaved a picture of the searched item on the client device. Also, thesearch parameters may include keywords or a description of the searcheditem. For example, the description indicates a color of the searcheditem, a size of the searched item, dimensions of the searched item, andthe like.

At operation 320, the reception module 210 receives sensor data thatindicates items located within a predefined distance the sensor. Thesensor data includes visual data that indicates the items located withinthe predefined distance from the sensor. For example, the visual dataincludes video footage of the items located within the predefineddistance from the sensor. Alternatively, the visual data includes imagesof the items located within the predefined distance from the sensor. Invarious example embodiments, the sensor is placed inside of a safe wheresecure items are kept.

At operation 330, the determination module 230 determines that thesearch parameters match with a corresponding item among the itemsindicated by the sensor data as being located within the predefineddistance from the sensor. More specifically, the determination module230 compares the search parameters with the sensor data in order todetermine the match. In the case that the search parameters is an imageof the searched object, the determination module 230 is to compare theimage of the searched object with visual data that indicates thecorresponding item. In the case that the search parameters is adescription of the searched object, the determination module 230 is tocompare the description of the searched item with the retrievedidentifier or additional identifier of the corresponding item.

At operation 340, the determination module 230 determines a location ofthe searched item based on the match. As stated earlier, since thelocation of the searched item is determined as being where thecorresponding item is located, the determination module 230 is furtherto determine the location of the corresponding item among the itemsindicated by the sensor data as being within the predefined distancefrom the sensor.

At operation 350, the display module 240 causes display of the locationof the searched item in a user interface of an application on a clientdevice. The user interface of the application, in some instances,includes a search results page that displays the location of thesearched item. Further, the location of the searched item, in someinstances, is presented alongside a description of the searched item. Insome cases, the description of the searched item is the same as the onesubmitted as part of the search parameters.

At operation 360, the generation module 250 generates an image of thesearched item. As stated previously, the generation module 250 uses thevisual data that indicates the corresponding item in order to generatethe image of the searched item. Further, the visual data of thecorresponding item may be an image of the corresponding item or may be avideo of the corresponding item.

At operation 370, the display module 240 causes display of the generatedimage of the searched item. More specifically, in some instances, thedisplay module 240 causes display of the generated image in the userinterface of the application that also includes the location of thesearched item.

As shown in FIG. 4, the method 300 may include one or more of operations410, 420, 430, 440, 450, and 460.

At operation 410, the identification module 220 counts a number of itemslocated within the predefined distance from the sensor based on thesensor data. As stated above, the sensor data includes visual data thatindicates identifiers of the items located within the predefineddistance from the sensor. Accordingly, in some instances, theidentification module 220 counts a number of unique barcodes oridentifiers that are included in the sensor data.

At operation 420, the reception module 210 receives a request from theclient device to receive notifications regarding the items within thepredefined distance from the sensor. The request also indicates athreshold number. In some instances, the search application includes arequest interface that allows for the user to submit the request toreceive notifications. Accordingly, the request is submitted via thesearch application from the request interface.

At operation 430, the determination module 230 determines that thecounted number of items is less than the threshold number.

At operation 440, the display module 240 causes display of anotification that indicates the number of items within the predefineddistance from the sensor. In some instances, the notification is adisplayed on the client device as part of the search application.Alternatively, the notification is displayed on the client deviceindependently of the search application (e.g., the search application isnot actively being displayed on a screen of the client device). Also,the display of the notification is performed in response to thedetermination that the counter number of items is less than thethreshold number. In the case of the sensor being located in the safe,the notification is displayed when the number of items within the safefall below the threshold number as indicated in the request.

At operation 450, the determination module 230 detects that a new itemis moved to a location within the predefined distance from the sensor.

At operation 460, the display module 240 causes display of anotification that indicates movement of the new item. In some instances,the notification is a displayed on the client device as part of thesearch application. Alternatively, the notification is displayed on theclient device independently of the search application (e.g., the searchapplication is not actively being displayed on a screen of the clientdevice).

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example user interface 500 ofa search application, according to some example embodiments. The userinterface 500 may be displayed on a client device of a user. Further,the user interface 500 includes a description section 502 where the usermay input a description of an item as part of a request to locate theitem (e.g., wallet). The user interface 500 also includes an imagesection 508 where the user may upload an image 504 of an item as part arequest to locate the item (e.g., wallet). Further, the user interface500 includes a button 506 that is configured to upload the image 504 ofthe item to the search system 150. In other words, each of the image 504of the item and the description of the item are search parametersentered by the user to identify the item that is the user is trying tolocate.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an example user interface 600 ofa search application, according to some example embodiments. The userinterface 600 may be displayed on a client device of a user after theuser interface 500 of FIG. 5 is displayed. As shown, the user interface600 includes a description of an item 602, an image of the item 604, anda location of the item 606. The user interface 600 depicts a searchresult of an item that matches the search parameters entered by the userin FIG. 5. Moreover, the item is indicated by sensor data as beinglocated within a predefined distance from a sensor. As shown in the userinterface 600, the location of the item 606 corresponds to a sensorlocated on a kitchen counter.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an example user interface 700 ofa search application, according to some example embodiments. As shown,the user 700 interface includes four sections. The first sectionincludes a first description 702 and a first image 704. The secondsection includes a second description 706 and a second image 708. Thethird section includes a third description 710 and a third image 712.The fourth section includes a fourth description 714 and a fourth image716. Also, the user interface 700 may be displayed on a client device ofa user. The user interface 700 depicts items that are indicated bysensors that are placed around a home. For instance, the firstdescription 702 describes a first item that is indicated by sensor datafrom a sensor placed on a kitchen counter. The second description 706describes a second item that is indicated by sensor data from the sensorplaced on the kitchen counter. The third description 710 describes athird item that is indicated by sensor data from a sensor placed insidea cabinet. The fourth description 714 describes a fourth item that isindicated by sensor data from a sensor placed on a night stand.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating an example user interface 800 ofa search application, according to some example embodiments. The userinterface 800 may be displayed on a client device of a user. As shown,the user interface 800 includes a notification 802. The notification 802indicates that a number of items indicated by the sensor falls below athreshold number. Also, the notification 802 is displayed in response toa determination that the number of items is below the threshold number.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an example user interface 900 ofa search application, according to some example embodiments. The userinterface 900 may be displayed on a client device of a user. As shown,the user interface 900 includes a notification 902. The notification 902indicates that a new item is moved to a location within a predefineddistance from a sensor.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating an example user interface 1000of a search application, according to some example embodiments. The userinterface 1000 may be displayed on a client device of a user. As shown,the user interface 1000 includes a description 1002 of an item, an image1004 of the item, and a notification 1006. The notification indicatesthat the item has been moved from an area located within a predefineddistance from a third sensor (e.g., cabinet) to an area located within apredefined distance from a first sensor (e.g., kitchen counter).

Modules, Components, and Logic

Certain embodiments are described herein as including logic or a numberof components, modules, or mechanisms. Modules may constitute eithersoftware modules (e.g., code embodied on a machine-readable medium) orhardware modules. A “hardware module” is a tangible unit capable ofperforming certain operations and may be configured or arranged in acertain physical manner. In various example embodiments, one or morecomputer systems (e.g., a standalone computer system, a client computersystem, or a server computer system) or one or more hardware modules ofa computer system (e.g., a processor or a group of processors) may beconfigured by software (e.g., an application or application portion) asa hardware module that operates to perform certain operations asdescribed herein.

In some embodiments, a hardware module may be implemented mechanically,electronically, or any suitable combination thereof. For example, ahardware module may include dedicated circuitry or logic that ispermanently configured to perform certain operations. For example, ahardware module may be a special-purpose processor, such as aField-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or an Application SpecificIntegrated Circuit (ASIC). A hardware module may also includeprogrammable logic or circuitry that is temporarily configured bysoftware to perform certain operations. For example, a hardware modulemay include software executed by a general-purpose processor or otherprogrammable processor. Once configured by such software, hardwaremodules become specific machines (or specific components of a machine)uniquely tailored to perform the configured functions and are no longergeneral-purpose processors. It will be appreciated that the decision toimplement a hardware module mechanically, in dedicated and permanentlyconfigured circuitry, or in temporarily configured circuitry (e.g.,configured by software) may be driven by cost and time considerations.

Accordingly, the phrase “hardware module” should be understood toencompass a tangible entity, be that an entity that is physicallyconstructed, permanently configured (e.g., hardwired), or temporarilyconfigured (e.g., programmed) to operate in a certain manner or toperform certain operations described herein. As used herein,“hardware-implemented module” refers to a hardware module. Consideringembodiments in which hardware modules are temporarily configured (e.g.,programmed), each of the hardware modules need not be configured orinstantiated at any one instance in time. For example, where a hardwaremodule comprises a general-purpose processor configured by software tobecome a special-purpose processor, the general-purpose processor may beconfigured as respectively different special-purpose processors (e.g.,comprising different hardware modules) at different times. Softwareaccordingly configures a particular processor or processors, forexample, to constitute a particular hardware module at one instance oftime and to constitute a different hardware module at a differentinstance of time.

Hardware modules can provide information to, and receive informationfrom, other hardware modules. Accordingly, the described hardwaremodules may be regarded as being communicatively coupled. Where multiplehardware modules exist contemporaneously, communications may be achievedthrough signal transmission (e.g., over appropriate circuits and buses)between or among two or more of the hardware modules. In embodiments inwhich multiple hardware modules are configured or instantiated atdifferent times, communications between such hardware modules may beachieved, for example, through the storage and retrieval of informationin memory structures to which the multiple hardware modules have access.For example, one hardware module may perform an operation and store theoutput of that operation in a memory device to which it iscommunicatively coupled. A further hardware module may then, at a latertime, access the memory device to retrieve and process the storedoutput. Hardware modules may also initiate communications with input oroutput devices, and can operate on a resource (e.g., a collection ofinformation).

The various operations of example methods described herein may beperformed, at least partially, by one or more processors that aretemporarily configured (e.g., by software) or permanently configured toperform the relevant operations. Whether temporarily or permanentlyconfigured, such processors may constitute processor-implemented modulesthat operate to perform one or more operations or functions describedherein. As used herein, “processor-implemented module” refers to ahardware module implemented using one or more processors.

Similarly, the methods described herein may be at least partiallyprocessor-implemented, with a particular processor or processors beingan example of hardware. For example, at least some of the operations ofa method may be performed by one or more processors orprocessor-implemented modules. Moreover, the one or more processors mayalso operate to support performance of the relevant operations in a“cloud computing” environment or as a “software as a service” (SaaS).For example, at least some of the operations may be performed by a groupof computers (as examples of machines including processors), with theseoperations being accessible via a network (e.g., the Internet) and viaone or more appropriate interfaces (e.g., an Application ProgramInterface (API)).

The performance of certain of the operations may be distributed amongthe processors, not only residing within a single machine, but deployedacross a number of machines. In some example embodiments, the processorsor processor-implemented modules may be located in a single geographiclocation (e.g., within a home environment, an office environment, or aserver farm). In other example embodiments, the processors orprocessor-implemented modules may be distributed across a number ofgeographic locations.

Example Machine Architecture and Machine-Readable Medium

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating components of a machine 1100,according to some example embodiments, able to read instructions from amachine-readable medium (e.g., a machine-readable storage medium) andperform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein.Specifically, FIG. 11 shows a diagrammatic representation of the machine1100 in the example form of a computer system, within which instructions1116 (e.g., software, a program, an application, an applet, an app, orother executable code) for causing the machine 1100 to perform any oneor more of the methodologies discussed herein may be executed. Forexample the instructions may cause the machine to execute the flowdiagrams of FIGS. 3-5. Additionally, or alternatively, the instructionsmay implement the modules depicted in FIG. 2, and so forth. Theinstructions transform the general, non-programmed machine into aparticular machine specially configured to carry out the described andillustrated functions in the manner described. In alternativeembodiments, the machine 1100 operates as a standalone device or may becoupled (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networked deployment,the machine 1100 may operate in the capacity of a server machine or aclient machine in a server-client network environment, or as a peermachine in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment. Themachine 1100 may comprise, but not be limited to, a server computer, aclient computer, a personal computer (PC), a tablet computer, a laptopcomputer, a netbook, a set-top box (STB), a personal digital assistant(PDA), an entertainment media system, a cellular telephone, a smartphone, a mobile device, a wearable device (e.g., a smart watch), a smarthome device (e.g., a smart appliance), other smart devices, a webappliance, a network router, a network switch, a network bridge, or anymachine capable of executing the instructions 1116, sequentially orotherwise, that specify actions to be taken by machine 1100. Further,while only a single machine 1100 is illustrated, the term “machine”shall also be taken to include a collection of machines 1100 thatindividually or jointly execute the instructions 1116 to perform any oneor more of the methodologies discussed herein.

The machine 1100 may include processors 1110, memory 1130, and I/Ocomponents 1150, which may be configured to communicate with each othersuch as via a bus 1102. In an example embodiment, the processors 1110(e.g., a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a Reduced Instruction SetComputing (RISC) processor, a Complex Instruction Set Computing (CISC)processor, a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), a Digital Signal Processor(DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), aRadio-Frequency Integrated Circuit (RFIC), another processor, or anysuitable combination thereof) may include, for example, processor 1112and processor 1114 that may execute instructions 1116. The term“processor” is intended to include multi-core processor that maycomprise two or more independent processors (sometimes referred to as“cores”) that may execute instructions contemporaneously. Although FIG.11 shows multiple processors, the machine 1100 may include a singleprocessor with a single core, a single processor with multiple cores(e.g., a multi-core process), multiple processors with a single core,multiple processors with multiples cores, or any combination thereof.

The memory/storage 1130 may include a memory 1132, such as a mainmemory, or other memory storage, and a storage unit 1136, bothaccessible to the processors 1110 such as via the bus 1102. The storageunit 1136 and memory 1132 store the instructions 1116 embodying any oneor more of the methodologies or functions described herein. Theinstructions 1116 may also reside, completely or partially, within thememory 1132, within the storage unit 1136, within at least one of theprocessors 1110 (e.g., within the processor's cache memory), or anysuitable combination thereof, during execution thereof by the machine1100. Accordingly, the memory 1132, the storage unit 1136, and thememory of processors 1110 are examples of machine-readable media.

As used herein, “machine-readable medium” means a device able to storeinstructions and data temporarily or permanently and may include, but isnot be limited to, random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM),buffer memory, flash memory, optical media, magnetic media, cachememory, other types of storage (e.g., Erasable Programmable Read-OnlyMemory (EEPROM)) and/or any suitable combination thereof. The term“machine-readable medium” should be taken to include a single medium ormultiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, orassociated caches and servers) able to store instructions 1116. The term“machine-readable medium” shall also be taken to include any medium, orcombination of multiple media, that is capable of storing instructions(e.g., instructions 1116) for execution by a machine (e.g., machine1100), such that the instructions, when executed by one or moreprocessors of the machine 1100 (e.g., processors 1110), cause themachine 1100 to perform any one or more of the methodologies describedherein. Accordingly, a “machine-readable medium” refers to a singlestorage apparatus or device, as well as “cloud-based” storage systems orstorage networks that include multiple storage apparatus or devices. Theterm “machine-readable medium” excludes signals per se.

Furthermore, the machine-readable medium is non-transitory in that itdoes not embody a propagating signal. However, labeling the tangiblemachine-readable medium as “non-transitory” should not be construed tomean that the medium is incapable of movement—the medium should beconsidered as being transportable from one physical location to another.Additionally, since the machine-readable medium is tangible, the mediummay be considered to be a machine-readable device.

The I/O components 1150 may include a wide variety of components toreceive input, provide output, produce output, transmit information,exchange information, capture measurements, and so on. The specific I/Ocomponents 1150 that are included in a particular machine will depend onthe type of machine. For example, portable machines such as mobilephones will likely include a touch input device or other such inputmechanisms, while a headless server machine will likely not include sucha touch input device. It will be appreciated that the I/O components1150 may include many other components that are not shown in FIG. 11.The I/O components 1150 are grouped according to functionality merelyfor simplifying the following discussion and the grouping is in no waylimiting. In various example embodiments, the I/O components 1150 mayinclude output components 1152 and input components 1154. The outputcomponents 1152 may include visual components (e.g., a display such as aplasma display panel (PDP), a light emitting diode (LED) display, aliquid crystal display (LCD), a projector, or a cathode ray tube (CRT)),acoustic components (e.g., speakers), haptic components (e.g., avibratory motor, resistance mechanisms), other signal generators, and soforth. The input components 1154 may include alphanumeric inputcomponents (e.g., a keyboard, a touch screen configured to receivealphanumeric input, a photo-optical keyboard, or other alphanumericinput components), point based input components (e.g., a mouse, atouchpad, a trackball, a joystick, a motion sensor, or other pointinginstrument), tactile input components (e.g., a physical button, a touchscreen that provides location and/or force of touches or touch gestures,or other tactile input components), audio input components (e.g., amicrophone), and the like.

In further example embodiments, the I/O components 1150 may includebiometric components 1156, motion components 1158, environmentalcomponents 1160, or position components 1162 among a wide array of othercomponents. For example, the biometric components 1156 may includecomponents to detect expressions (e.g., hand expressions, facialexpressions, vocal expressions, body gestures, or eye tracking), measurebiosignals (e.g., blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature,perspiration, or brain waves), identify a person (e.g., voiceidentification, retinal identification, facial identification,fingerprint identification, or electroencephalogram basedidentification), and the like. The motion components 1158 may includeacceleration sensor components (e.g., accelerometer), gravitation sensorcomponents, rotation sensor components (e.g., gyroscope), and so forth.The environmental components 1160 may include, for example, illuminationsensor components (e.g., photometer), temperature sensor components(e.g., one or more thermometer that detect ambient temperature),humidity sensor components, pressure sensor components (e.g.,barometer), acoustic sensor components (e.g., one or more microphonesthat detect background noise), proximity sensor components (e.g.,infrared sensors that detect nearby objects), gas sensors (e.g., gasdetection sensors to detection concentrations of hazardous gases forsafety or to measure pollutants in the atmosphere), or other componentsthat may provide indications, measurements, or signals corresponding toa surrounding physical environment. The position components 1162 mayinclude location sensor components (e.g., a Global Position System (GPS)receiver component), altitude sensor components (e.g., altimeters orbarometers that detect air pressure from which altitude may be derived),orientation sensor components (e.g., magnetometers), and the like.

Communication may be implemented using a wide variety of technologies.The I/O components 1150 may include communication components 1164operable to couple the machine 1100 to a network 1180 or devices 1170via coupling 1182 and coupling 1172 respectively. For example, thecommunication components 1164 may include a network interface componentor other suitable device to interface with the network 1180. In furtherexamples, communication components 1164 may include wired communicationcomponents, wireless communication components, cellular communicationcomponents, Near Field Communication (NFC) components, Bluetooth®components (e.g., Bluetooth® Low Energy), Wi-Fi® components, and othercommunication components to provide communication via other modalities.The devices 1170 may be another machine or any of a wide variety ofperipheral devices (e.g., a peripheral device coupled via a UniversalSerial Bus (USB)).

Moreover, the communication components 1164 may detect identifiers orinclude components operable to detect identifiers. For example, thecommunication components 1164 may include Radio Frequency Identification(RFID) tag reader components, NFC smart tag detection components,optical reader components (e.g., an optical sensor to detectone-dimensional bar codes such as Universal Product Code (UPC) bar code,multi-dimensional bar codes such as Quick Response (QR) code, Azteccode, Data Matrix, Dataglyph, MaxiCode, PDF417, Ultra Code, UCC RSS-2Dbar code, and other optical codes), or acoustic detection components(e.g., microphones to identify tagged audio signals). In addition, avariety of information may be derived via the communication components1164, such as, location via Internet Protocol (IP) geo-location,location via Wi-Fi® signal triangulation, location via detecting a NFCbeacon signal that may indicate a particular location, and so forth.

Transmission Medium

In various example embodiments, one or more portions of the network 1180may be an ad hoc network, an intranet, an extranet, a virtual privatenetwork (VPN), a local area network (LAN), a wireless LAN (WLAN), a widearea network (WAN), a wireless WAN (WWAN), a metropolitan area network(MAN), the Internet, a portion of the Internet, a portion of the PublicSwitched Telephone Network (PSTN), a plain old telephone service (POTS)network, a cellular telephone network, a wireless network, a Wi-Fi®network, another type of network, or a combination of two or more suchnetworks. For example, the network 1180 or a portion of the network 1180may include a wireless or cellular network and the coupling 1182 may bea Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) connection, a Global System forMobile communications (GSM) connection, or other type of cellular orwireless coupling. In this example, the coupling 1182 may implement anyof a variety of types of data transfer technology, such as SingleCarrier Radio Transmission Technology (1xRTT), Evolution-Data Optimized(EVDO) technology, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) technology,Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) technology, thirdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) including 3G, fourth generationwireless (4G) networks, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System(UMTS), High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Worldwide Interoperability forMicrowave Access (WiMAX), Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard, othersdefined by various standard setting organizations, other long rangeprotocols, or other data transfer technology.

The instructions 1116 may be transmitted or received over the network1180 using a transmission medium via a network interface device (e.g., anetwork interface component included in the communication components1164) and utilizing any one of a number of well-known transfer protocols(e.g., hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP)). Similarly, the instructions1116 may be transmitted or received using a transmission medium via thecoupling 1172 (e.g., a peer-to-peer coupling) to devices 1170. The term“transmission medium” shall be taken to include any intangible mediumthat is capable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructions 1116 forexecution by the machine 1100, and includes digital or analogcommunications signals or other intangible medium to facilitatecommunication of such software.

Language

Throughout this specification, plural instances may implementcomponents, operations, or structures described as a single instance.Although individual operations of one or more methods are illustratedand described as separate operations, one or more of the individualoperations may be performed concurrently, and nothing requires that theoperations be performed in the order illustrated. Structures andfunctionality presented as separate components in example configurationsmay be implemented as a combined structure or component. Similarly,structures and functionality presented as a single component may beimplemented as separate components. These and other variations,modifications, additions, and improvements fall within the scope of thesubject matter herein.

Although an overview of the inventive subject matter has been describedwith reference to specific example embodiments, various modificationsand changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from thebroader scope of embodiments of the present disclosure. Such embodimentsof the inventive subject matter may be referred to herein, individuallyor collectively, by the term “invention” merely for convenience andwithout intending to voluntarily limit the scope of this application toany single disclosure or inventive concept if more than one is, in fact,disclosed.

The embodiments illustrated herein are described in sufficient detail toenable those skilled in the art to practice the teachings disclosed.Other embodiments may be used and derived therefrom, such thatstructural and logical substitutions and changes may be made withoutdeparting from the scope of this disclosure. The Detailed Description,therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope ofvarious embodiments is defined only by the appended claims, along withthe full range of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

As used herein, the term “or” may be construed in either an inclusive orexclusive sense. Moreover, plural instances may be provided forresources, operations, or structures described herein as a singleinstance. Additionally, boundaries between various resources,operations, modules, engines, and data stores are somewhat arbitrary,and particular operations are illustrated in a context of specificillustrative configurations. Other allocations of functionality areenvisioned and may fall within a scope of various embodiments of thepresent disclosure. In general, structures and functionality presentedas separate resources in the example configurations may be implementedas a combined structure or resource. Similarly, structures andfunctionality presented as a single resource may be implemented asseparate resources. These and other variations, modifications,additions, and improvements fall within a scope of embodiments of thepresent disclosure as represented by the appended claims. Thespecification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in anillustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: receiving a request tosearch for an item, the request being received from a client device, therequest including search parameters that identify the searched item;receiving sensor data that indicates items that are located within apredefined distance from a sensor, the sensor being in communicationwith a server; determining, using one or more processors of the server,that the search parameters match with a corresponding item among theitems indicated by the sensor data as being located within thepredefined distance from the sensor; determining a location of thesearched item based on the match; and causing display of the location ofthe searched item in a user interface of an application on the clientdevice.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the locationof the searched item based on the match includes determining a locationof the corresponding item among the items indicated by the sensor dataas being located within the predefined distance from the sensor.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the sensor data includes visual data thatindicates identifiers of the items located within the predefineddistance from the sensor
 4. The method of claim 3, further comprisingretrieving, using the sensor data, additional identifiers for the itemsthat are located within the predefined distance from the sensorincluding an additional identifier for the corresponding item, andwherein the determining the match is based on matching the additionalidentifier for the corresponding item with the search parameters.
 5. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: detecting that a new item ismoved to a location within the predefined distance from the sensor, thedetecting being based on the sensor data; and causing display of anotification that indicates movement of the new item.
 6. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising: counting a number of items located withinthe predefined distance from the sensor based on the sensor data; andcausing display of a notification that indicates the number of itemswithin the predefined distance from the sensor.
 7. The method of claim6, further comprising: receiving a request from the client device toreceive notifications regarding the items within the predefined distancefrom the sensor, the request indicating a threshold number; anddetermining that the counted number of items within the predefineddistance from the sensor is less than the threshold number; and whereinthe display of the notification is based on the determination.
 8. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: generating an image of thesearched item based on visual data that indicates the correspondingitem, the visual data that indicates the corresponding item beingincluded in the sensor data; and causing display of, in the userinterface of the application, the image of the searched item.
 9. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: storing the location of thesearched item in a database maintained by the server.
 10. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the search parameters include an image of the searcheditem.
 11. A system comprising: a reception module configured to: receivea request to search for an item, the request being received from aclient device, the request including search parameters that identify thesearched item; and receive sensor data that indicates items that arelocated within a predefined distance from a sensor, the sensor being incommunication with a server; a determination module configured to:determine that the search parameters match with a corresponding itemamong the items indicated by the sensor data as being located within thepredefined distance from the sensor; and determine a location of thesearched item based on the match; and a display module configured tocause display of the location of the searched item in a user interfaceof an application on the client device.
 12. The system of claim 11,wherein the determination module is further configured to determine alocation of the corresponding item among the items indicated by thesensor data as being located within the predefined distance from thesensor.
 13. The system of claim 11, wherein the sensor data includesvisual data that indicates identifiers of the items located within thepredefined distance from the sensor.
 14. The system of claim 13, furthercomprising an identification module configured to retrieve, using thesensor data, additional identifiers for the items that are locatedwithin the predefined distance from the sensor including an additionalidentifier for the corresponding item; and wherein the determinationmodule is further configured to determine the match based on matchingadditional identifier for the corresponding item with the searchparameters.
 15. The system of claim 11, further comprising: adetermination module configured to detect that a new item is moved to alocation within the predefined distance from the sensor, the detectingbeing based on the sensor data; and wherein the display module isfurther configured to cause display of a notification that indicatesmovement of the new item.
 16. The system of claim 11, wherein theidentification module is further configured to count a number of itemslocated within the predefined distance from the sensor based on thesensor data; and wherein the display module is further configured tocause display of a notification that indicates the number of itemswithin the predefined distance from the sensor.
 17. The system of claim16, wherein the reception module is further configured to receive arequest from the client device to receive notifications regarding theitems within the predefined distance from the sensor, the requestindicating a threshold number; wherein the determination module isfurther configured to determine that the counted number of items withinthe predefined distance from the sensor is less than the thresholdnumber; and wherein the display module is further configured to displaythe notification based on the determination.
 18. The system of claim 11,further comprising a generation module configured to generate an imageof the searched item based on visual data that indicates thecorresponding item, the visual data that indicates the correspondingitem being included in the sensor data; and wherein the display moduleis further configured to cause display of, in the user interface of theapplication, the image of the searched item.
 19. The system of claim 11,wherein the determination module is further configured to store thelocation of the searched item in a database maintained by the server.20. A non-transitory machine-readable medium storing instructions that,when executed by one or more processors of a machine, cause the machineto perform operations comprising: receiving a request to search for anitem, the request being received from a client device, the requestincluding search parameters that identify the searched item; receivingsensor data that indicates items that are located within a predefineddistance from a sensor, the sensor being in communication with a server;determining that the search parameters match with a corresponding itemamong the items indicated by the sensor data as being located within thepredefined distance from the sensor; determining a location of thesearched item based on the match; and causing display of the location ofthe searched item in a user interface of an application on the clientdevice.